Overview

On 30 Apr 2013, South Sudan's Ministry of Health declared an outbreak of meningitis in Malakal County, Upper Nile State. As of 27 May, 141 cases and five deaths were reported from Malakal county, two cases from Jonglei state and eight cases from Aweil West county. (WHO, 26 May 2013)

An estimated 123,520 people, covering 80 per cent of the target population of people between two and 30 years of age, were vaccinated by 24 May as part of a mass-immunization campaign in Upper Nile State. (OCHA, 26 May 2013)

In Syria, heavy fighting continues between the Government and opposition groups as well as infighting within the opposition. Against this background, the UN Security Council endorsed the Russia-US agreement on the elimination of Syria’s chemical stockpile. There are now over 2.1 million Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries. As of 27 September, heavy shelling is preventing an estimated 70,000 Syrian refugees from crossing into Jordan, leading them to face severe food insecurity as they remain stranded on the border.

• Hostilities and new inter-communal clashes in Jonglei State further deteriorated the humanitarian situation and tens of thousands of people were displaced. Aid organizations mounted a response operation in several areas of Pibor County following access negotiations with parties to the hostilities.

In Syria, fighting continued in Aleppo, Al-Hasakeh, Dar’a, Damascus, Deir-ez-Zor, Hama, Homs, Idleb, Rural Damascus and Quneitra. A large-scale chemical weapons attack in Ghouta killed hundreds of people, according to opposition groups that blamed the Government on 21 August. After some delay, Damascus allowed UN inspectors to visit the site of the alleged chemical attack while denying being behind the assault. Meanwhile, over 1.9 million Syrians have been registered with UNHCR or are awaiting registration in neighboring countries.

In Syria, fighting between governmental forces and opposition groups has been concentrated in Aleppo, Deir-ez-Zor, Homs, Lattakia and Rural Damascus this week. Meanwhile, infighting is ongoing within the opposition. As during previous weeks, FSA forces have clashed with Islamist opposition groups on multiple occasions while Kurdish groups continued to fight with Islamist groups in the north of the country. The mass influx of Syrian refugees to neighbouring countries is ongoing. As of 19 August, over 1.9 million Syrians had fled the country.

In Syria, large-scale fighting between opposition and Government forces has been reported across Al-Hassakeh, Ar-Raqqa, Homs, Aleppo, and especially Lattakia and Damascus governorates. Increasing strife between combatants of the FSA and al-Qaeda affiliated Islamic fighters continue to also be reported, especially around Aleppo and its countryside. In addition, as clashes increased between Kurdish armed groups and fighters of the ISIS, the President of Iraqi Kurdistan openly floated the idea of staging an intervention in Syria to support fellow Kurds.

In Syria, Government forces are advancing in Homs and expected to retake opposition-held districts in the short-term, while operations have been ongoing in other major cities, including Aleppo and Damascus. Meanwhile, infighting within opposition forces is spreading between various armed groups. Clashes are continuously reported between Kurdish fighters and al-Qaeda affiliated Islamists near the border with Turkey in Al-Hassakeh and Ar-Raqqa governorates.

In Syria, despite the start of the Holy Month of Ramadan on 9 July, large-scale operations have been ongoing in several major cities, including Damascus, Homs, Aleppo, and Idlib with regime forces pushing to extend the gains obtained over the past weeks with support of the Lebanese Hezbollah fighters. Infighting within opposition forces has escalated in recent days with clashes reported between various Islamist and more moderate groups, notably between Kurdish fighters and al-Qaeda affiliated Islamists near the border with Turkey in Al-Hassakeh governorate.

The mid-year review of the South Sudan Consolidated Appeal shows that although humanitarian needs remained very high in the first half of 2013, the situation has stabilized and even improved in some areas.

The humanitarian community appealed for US$1.16 billion to address urgent humanitarian needs in South Sudan for 2013. As of 31 May, the humanitarian appeal was 47 per cent funded, corresponding to $545 million. $412 million was requested for projects of high immediate priority, out of which $274 million has been secured to procure, transport and preposition emergency aid in remote locations before the rainy season.

The largest five donors were Canada, European Commission, Japan, UK and USA, together contributing $330 million.

Lack of access to people affected by persistent insecurity in Pibor County, responding to the needs of displaced people elsewhere in Jonglei State, meningitis outbreak and relocation of refugees in Upper Nile State were the key humanitarian concerns in May. Partners also responded to the needs of people displaced by a cattle raiding incident in Upper Nile State.

6 JUNE 2013 - From 1 January to 12 May 2013 (epidemiologic week 19), 9 249 suspected cases of meningitis, including 857 deaths, with a case fatality ratio of 9.3 percent, have been reported from 18 of the 19 African countries under enhanced surveillance1 for meningitis. The number of cases reported so far are the lowest recorded during the epidemic season in the last ten years2.

Outbreaks of the meningococcal disease have been confirmed in Guinea and South Sudan, where 404 suspected cases3 (38 deaths) and 196 suspected cases (13 deaths) have respectively been notified.